Alnylam Pharmaceuticals may have to be careful what it wishes for. The Cambridge, MA-based biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:ALNY]]) supported Gov. Deval Patrick’s 10-year, $1 billion initiative to boost the life sciences industry in the state, and now that it’s become law, the company says the initiative might give one of its competitors an unfair advantage. … Continue reading “Alnylam, RXi On Collision Course Over Intellectual Property From Massachusetts Life Sciences Initiative”
Category: National
Washington’s Tobacco Cash Must Be “Catalyst” For Health Innovation, Says Lee Huntsman
Washington state’s effort to spark the biotech industry tends to get overshadowed when stacked up against bigger initiatives from other states. California has thumbed its nose at President Bush, pouring a whopping $3 billion into stem cell research. Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick pushed hard for a 10-year, $1 billion initiative to promote life sciences in … Continue reading “Washington’s Tobacco Cash Must Be “Catalyst” For Health Innovation, Says Lee Huntsman”
GPS Treasure Hunting with Your iPhone 3G
If you had to name the companies that stand to lose the most from Apple’s latest smartphone, released July 11, you might say Microsoft, Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, or Verizon. But I have a different list: Garmin, Magellan, and TomTom. That’s because new third-party apps available for the iPhone 3G make it into a wholly credible … Continue reading “GPS Treasure Hunting with Your iPhone 3G”
Pacific Northwest Researchers Win Funding from U.S. Department of Energy for Three Water-Power Projects
In the Northwest, it’s all about the hydro. Today, the U.S. Department of Energy announced grants to 14 research teams around the country, with the goal of developing cleaner, cheaper, and more reliable alternative energy sources based on water power. Three of the contracts will be based in Washington and Oregon, which have traditionally been … Continue reading “Pacific Northwest Researchers Win Funding from U.S. Department of Energy for Three Water-Power Projects”
Daily TIPs: Spin Detector, Science Advice, Designer Pigs, & More
National Academy Advises Candidates on Science The National Academy of Sciences has issued a report advising the presidential candidates on how to deal with science-related issues. According to Ars Technica, the NAS says that most major issues for government, including climate, healthcare, and intelligence gathering, have some science and technology components. The group is calling … Continue reading “Daily TIPs: Spin Detector, Science Advice, Designer Pigs, & More”
Sirtris’ Westphal Enjoying Life Under GSK Ownership; Hints at Positive Human Data on Next-Gen Drugs to Extend Healthy Life (and Still Partying on Fridays)
Sirtris is now part of pharmaceutical behemoth GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE:[[ticker:GSK]]), but the British giant has allowed its acquisition a unique dose of autonomy since it bought the small, Cambridge, MA-based biotech in June for $720 million. For those who still haven’t heard, Sirtris is known around the world for the dazzling potential of its drugs to … Continue reading “Sirtris’ Westphal Enjoying Life Under GSK Ownership; Hints at Positive Human Data on Next-Gen Drugs to Extend Healthy Life (and Still Partying on Fridays)”
Seattle Tech Investors Urge Caution in the Face of Market Meltdown, “Unprecedented Times”
It’s what everyone’s talking about. Whether you’re an investor, a private equity firm, or a startup trying to find your way, the financial crisis on Wall Street is hitting home. But beyond the large-scale layoffs and reorganizations, what will be the true impact in innovation circles? I spoke this week with a few investors in … Continue reading “Seattle Tech Investors Urge Caution in the Face of Market Meltdown, “Unprecedented Times””
Back into the Cauldron: Patent Suit Renews Bitter Dispute Between Gasification Rivals Quantum Catalytics and Ze-gen
Boston clean-energy startup Ze-gen is building a pilot plant where waste materials are vaporized in a giant vat of molten iron, producing “syngas” that can then be burned to make electricity. When a federal judge in Texas dismissed a patent-infringement lawsuit against the company last month, Ze-gen had cause to hope that its recent legal … Continue reading “Back into the Cauldron: Patent Suit Renews Bitter Dispute Between Gasification Rivals Quantum Catalytics and Ze-gen”
Alder Sets Stage for Showdown With Roche, With “Fast Follower” Antibody Drug Strategy
Alder Biopharmaceuticals will find out next year whether it has what it takes to beat Roche, one of the world’s pharmaceutical giants. Alder, the Bothell, WA biotech company, is beginning a well-controlled clinical trial this month that will give it a clear sense of whether it has a drug for rheumatoid arthritis that is better … Continue reading “Alder Sets Stage for Showdown With Roche, With “Fast Follower” Antibody Drug Strategy”
Pulmatrix, Emerging From Stealth Mode, Makes Aerosols to Kill Flu and Bacterial Bugs in the Lungs
If a global flu pandemic strikes, public health officials might someday turn to a company emerging from stealth mode called Pulmatrix. The Lexington, MA-based biotech firm is gearing up for its next steps, hoping to show in clinical trials that its inhalable aerosols can prevent any number of viral and bacterial invaders from making people … Continue reading “Pulmatrix, Emerging From Stealth Mode, Makes Aerosols to Kill Flu and Bacterial Bugs in the Lungs”
Boston VCs: Counting the Billions of Dollars Raised
This is a revised version of an essay that Microsoft’s Don Dodge published today in his personal blog and contributed simultaneously to Xconomy. Commonwealth Capital Ventures held their annual open house this week at their Winter Street offices on “VC Hill” in Waltham. VC Hill is to Boston/Waltham what Sand Hill Road is to Silicon … Continue reading “Boston VCs: Counting the Billions of Dollars Raised”
Bill Gates, Arch Venture Back Biofuel Maker Sapphire Energy
Algae-based biofuel is getting pretty big—at least as an investment. Today, the Wall Street Journal reports that San Diego-based Sapphire Energy has closed a round of venture financing from Bill Gates’s investment arm, Kirkland, WA-based Cascade Investment. Sapphire Energy, which is working on oil-producing algae, has now raised a total of $100 million, and is … Continue reading “Bill Gates, Arch Venture Back Biofuel Maker Sapphire Energy”
Daily TIPs: Porn Decline, Powdered Gas, Open Arms, & More
The Internet is For…Facebook? More people are using the Internet for social networking than are surfing for porn, says the author of a new book that analyzes the type of Web searches users are doing. Porn, which accounted for 20 percent of searches a decade ago, has dropped to 10 percent, says Bill Trancer, author … Continue reading “Daily TIPs: Porn Decline, Powdered Gas, Open Arms, & More”
Bain Pours $7M Into Rapid7’s Security Software
Watching the financial markets during a week like this one might make putting your money into “vulnerability management” technology sound pretty attractive. At least that seems to be the thinking at a few local investment firms. Yesterday, we reported that Greylock Partners and Commonweath Capital Ventures have provided $7.5 million in expansion capital for Waltham, … Continue reading “Bain Pours $7M Into Rapid7’s Security Software”
Todd Dagres on the Media Trends Taking Spark Capital Way Beyond Boston
Boston venture firm Spark Capital launched three years ago with a relatively small $260 million fund mainly targeting early-stage investments at the “conflux of the media, entertainment, and technology industries.” Small funds typically focus on a given geographical region, in addition to their specialty areas. But on Monday, when Spark announced the hiring of former … Continue reading “Todd Dagres on the Media Trends Taking Spark Capital Way Beyond Boston”
Bay Area Is Like Hollywood for Startups, Says Seattle Entrepreneur Who Moved to San Francisco
Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been exploring the relationship between tech startups in Seattle and investors in the San Francisco Bay Area. We ran a story about what Seattle entrepreneurs can do to attract more attention from Bay Area VCs, and then a follow-up about whether there might be a brain drain of … Continue reading “Bay Area Is Like Hollywood for Startups, Says Seattle Entrepreneur Who Moved to San Francisco”
Millennium Enjoying New Era, Novartis Boosting Vaccine Effort, Living Proof Offering Frizz Fighters Online, & More Life Sciences News
This week it was insanely humid in the Boston area, so we were relieved to learn that Living Proof had begun selling its frizz-fighting hair products online. That, and the rest of the week’s (perhaps more weighty) life sciences news, below. —Luke caught up with Millennium Pharmaceuticals CEO Deborah Dunsire four months after her Cambridge, … Continue reading “Millennium Enjoying New Era, Novartis Boosting Vaccine Effort, Living Proof Offering Frizz Fighters Online, & More Life Sciences News”
Taking Charge of Tech Transfer at the “Hutch”: Q&A With Ulrich Mueller
Linden Rhoads of the University of Washington isn’t the only person in town trying to push a powerhouse research institution to become a hotbed for startups. Ulrich Mueller joined the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle almost a year ago to be its vice president for industry relations and technology transfer. His mission: Forge … Continue reading “Taking Charge of Tech Transfer at the “Hutch”: Q&A With Ulrich Mueller”
IBM Opens Social Software Research Center in Cambridge
The personal and professional connections that people make over computer networks can be at least as important to business as the actual work they do using those networks. To capitalize on that fact, IBM is setting up a new Center for Social Software in Cambridge, MA, where researchers and product developers from inside and outside … Continue reading “IBM Opens Social Software Research Center in Cambridge”
Gilead Drug For Cystic Fibrosis Fails to Win FDA Approval
Gilead Sciences suffered a big blow this afternoon, when it got word that its inhalable antibiotic for cystic fibrosis failed to win FDA approval. The Foster City, CA-based company, which has research and development offices in Seattle, said U.S. regulators are saying that another study must be done before aztreonam lysine can be cleared for … Continue reading “Gilead Drug For Cystic Fibrosis Fails to Win FDA Approval”
Puget Sound Business Journal Tackling Online News With Cook, Bishop
Fans of John Cook and Todd Bishop, never fear. The highly-regarded tech reporters who quit the Seattle Post-Intelligencer together yesterday will continue blogging like they have for years at the P-I, in a new role at the Puget Sound Business Journal. Today, the Business Journal said it is creating a new website featuring Cook’s coverage … Continue reading “Puget Sound Business Journal Tackling Online News With Cook, Bishop”
Cray, Microsoft Team Up to Sell $25K Windows Supercomputer—Will It Blue-Screen?
Remember when a supercomputer was an exotic, multimillion-dollar machine that took up a whole room and churned out calculations for quantum physics, molecular modeling, and other big science? Now, thanks to Moore’s Law and improvements in electronic design, your desktop PC is probably more powerful than what would have been called a “supercomputer” in 1990. … Continue reading “Cray, Microsoft Team Up to Sell $25K Windows Supercomputer—Will It Blue-Screen?”
Amgen’s Dmab Cuts Fracture Risk for Osteoporosis Patients, Just What Investors Wanted to See
Amgen finally has something emerging from its pipeline to thrill investors. The world’s largest biotech company, with research centers in Seattle and Cambridge, MA, is reporting today that its lead drug in development reduced the risk of spinal fractures for women with osteoporosis by a whopping 68 percent. On another dismal day in the markets, … Continue reading “Amgen’s Dmab Cuts Fracture Risk for Osteoporosis Patients, Just What Investors Wanted to See”
GE Shoots $4M Investment to Advanced Electron Beams
Advanced Electron Beams (AEB) of Wilmington, MA, has boosted its “green” credentials with technology that enables industry to sterilize or cure products without the energy costs and chemical waste of other solutions. General Electric (NYSE:[[ticker:GE]]) says it likes how AEB’s energy-efficient electron beam emitters complement GE’s “ecomagination” initiative to use more clean technologies, and now … Continue reading “GE Shoots $4M Investment to Advanced Electron Beams”
Daily TIPs: DNA for Doctors, Self-driving Prius, Google High on the Seas, & More
Berners-Lee Creates Web Foundation The man who invented the World Wide Web, Tim Berners-Lee, has launched a new foundation to promote open and expanded access to the Web. Ars Technica reports that the World Wide Web Foundation has $1 million in seed funding from the Knight Foundation. Specific goals of the project have not yet … Continue reading “Daily TIPs: DNA for Doctors, Self-driving Prius, Google High on the Seas, & More”
Punchbowl Spiked With an Extra $2.1 Million
Punchbowl Software, the Framingham, MA, startup that runs the Web 2.0 party planning service MyPunchbowl (profiled here last October), has obtained its first major round of venture financing. The company raised $2.1 million from a group of investors including New York-based Contour Venture Partners and seed-round participants Intel Capital and eCoast Angels. MyPunchbowl is designed … Continue reading “Punchbowl Spiked With an Extra $2.1 Million”
Big Fish Gets Big Funds, UIEvolution Emerges, Targeted Growth Targets Biofuels, Healionics Dogs It, & More
As fall approaches, the Northwest deals (and other news) are starting to pick up. In the past week, we’ve seen plenty of action in mobile, gaming, biotech, and biofuels—including Washington state’s biggest venture deal of 2008 so far. —Seattle-based Big Fish Games has raised a whopping $83.3 million in Washington’s largest venture deal of the … Continue reading “Big Fish Gets Big Funds, UIEvolution Emerges, Targeted Growth Targets Biofuels, Healionics Dogs It, & More”
GI Dynamics’ Gut-Lining Device Combats Diabetes, Obesity in Small Trial
Patients battling obesity and Type 2 diabetes will sometimes go to great lengths to reduce the amount of food reaching their bloodstream, including having their gastrointestinal tracts rearranged in a procedure known as gastric bypass. But GI Dynamics may soon be able to offer a less drastic alternative—a two-foot-long flexible sleeve slipped into the GI … Continue reading “GI Dynamics’ Gut-Lining Device Combats Diabetes, Obesity in Small Trial”
Space Explorers Splash Down in Seattle, Try to Spark Childrens’ Imaginations
Space exploration doesn’t captivate the public imagination like it once did—and small wonder, considering that the Space Shuttle is limited to endless circles in low-earth orbit, a mere 250 miles up. So now the small group of people who have had the privilege of looking down on Earth are doing something about it. They are … Continue reading “Space Explorers Splash Down in Seattle, Try to Spark Childrens’ Imaginations”
Netezza Finds Its Way with Spatial Data
Marlborough, MA-based Netezza (NYSE: [[ticker:NZ]]) will today unveil a feature for which users of its data warehouse appliances have long been clamoring: location. The firm raised more than $100 million in a July 2007 IPO, based largely on the perceived strength of its appliances, which are designed to speed up the complex queries that business … Continue reading “Netezza Finds Its Way with Spatial Data”
Seattle P-I Tech Writers, Todd Bishop and John Cook, Bolt for Puget Sound Business Journal
The Puget Sound Business Journal got significantly stronger today. Two of Seattle’s best-known technology journalists, John Cook and Todd Bishop, have resigned from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer to take new jobs at the crosstown Business Journal. Cook, the author of the widely-read John Cook’s Venture Blog, joined the newspaper in April 1999. As he says in … Continue reading “Seattle P-I Tech Writers, Todd Bishop and John Cook, Bolt for Puget Sound Business Journal”
Seattle Versus San Francisco: Will There Be a Brain Drain to the Bay Area?
A couple weeks ago, we ran a story about the relationship between Seattle startups and San Francisco Bay Area VCs. We asked, what can Seattle entrepreneurs do to attract more attention from California investors? The responses I got from the tech-business community painted an interesting and complex picture of the local investment scene—but it was … Continue reading “Seattle Versus San Francisco: Will There Be a Brain Drain to the Bay Area?”
Daily TIPs: Broadband Bottleneck, Green Chemistry, Spammer Freed, & More
Most Countries Unready for Future Broadband Needs A group of MBA students has developed a Broadband Quality Score for 42 countries and found that the only country with enough bandwidth capacity to meet its needs in the next three to five years is Japan. Ars Technica reports that the score includes upload and download speeds … Continue reading “Daily TIPs: Broadband Bottleneck, Green Chemistry, Spammer Freed, & More”
Spark Capital Gains ‘Mo,’ as It Pushes Deeper Into NY Media and Entertainment Scene
Spark Capital today announced it has hired media and technology executive Moshe “Mo” Koyfman as a principal—making him a central part of the Boston-based venture firm’s deeper push into the New York (and national) media and entertainment technology space. With some $620 million under management through two funds, Spark focuses its investments on the intersection … Continue reading “Spark Capital Gains ‘Mo,’ as It Pushes Deeper Into NY Media and Entertainment Scene”
Proteostasis Eyes Technique to Keep Your Proteins in Balance
One of those foggy concepts from eighth-grade biology came back to me the other day when I spoke with David Pendergast. It’s homeostasis, the idea that the human body naturally makes constant adjustments on the fly to maintain a proper balance of things like body temperature, water, or salt in your system. Pendergast, the CEO … Continue reading “Proteostasis Eyes Technique to Keep Your Proteins in Balance”
IRobot Nabs Nekton Research, Carbonite Comes Up with $20M, Parametric Ponders $2 Billion, & More Deals News
It was a light week for dealmaking among New England tech and life sciences firms, but if Parametric finds a buyer that one could be a doozy. —Bedford, MA-based iRobot (NASDAQ: [[ticker:IRBT]]) inked an agreement to acquire Raleigh-Durham, NC-based Nekton Research—a maker of unmanned underwater robots—for $10 million up front and a potential $5 million … Continue reading “IRobot Nabs Nekton Research, Carbonite Comes Up with $20M, Parametric Ponders $2 Billion, & More Deals News”
Gilead’s Seattle Crew Awaits FDA Clearance of Cystic Fibrosis Drug, Catalyst for Future Growth
The people at Gilead Sciences in Seattle have been working toward this moment for seven years. Tomorrow is the FDA’s deadline to decide whether to approve aztreonam lysine, an inhalable antibiotic for cystic fibrosis. The drug was developed by Seattle-based Corus Pharma and led to its acquisition two years ago by Gilead for $365 million. … Continue reading “Gilead’s Seattle Crew Awaits FDA Clearance of Cystic Fibrosis Drug, Catalyst for Future Growth”
Verdasys Says it Has A Better Way to Protect Web Transactions Against Malware
It may sound strange, but there’s a computer security company just outside Boston where the engineers have declared that the conventional battle against viruses, worms, Trojan horses, and other forms of computer malware is already lost. Norton, McAfee, and other anti-virus companies may still make millions selling consumers software that promises to keep computers malware-free. … Continue reading “Verdasys Says it Has A Better Way to Protect Web Transactions Against Malware”
Xconomy Rockin’ Tonight in Harvard Square
When we hired Greg Huang as our Seattle editor a few months ago, Rebecca wrote an article entitled, Introducing Greg. He Rocks. That’s because right after we hired him, he went on tour with what we described as his “fantastically quirky band,” Honest Bob and the Factory-to-Dealer Incentives. The band, which claims influences by the … Continue reading “Xconomy Rockin’ Tonight in Harvard Square”
Star Wars Inspires UW Scientist, Yoky Matsuoka, to Think Big About Making Artificial Hands
One of the scenes from The Empire Strikes Back gives you an idea of what Yoky Matsuoka is pursuing. It’s the part where Luke Skywalker tests out a prosthetic hand that he can control with all the dexterity of a natural one, well enough to wield one mean light saber. Matsuoka, a MacArthur “genius” award … Continue reading “Star Wars Inspires UW Scientist, Yoky Matsuoka, to Think Big About Making Artificial Hands”
Daily TIPs: Pot vs. MRSA, Wine vs. Heart Trouble, Podcars, & More
Marijuana Could Fight Resistant Staph Substances found in marijuana plants may provide a new weapon to fight drug-resistant bacteria, Technology Review reports. Scientists in England and Italy discovered antibacterial compounds in the plants and tested them against six strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, which causes hard-to-treat skin infections that can be fatal in … Continue reading “Daily TIPs: Pot vs. MRSA, Wine vs. Heart Trouble, Podcars, & More”
Big Fish Lands $83.3 Million Investment Round
No sooner had Greg published his 45-company-long list of members of the Greater Seattle gaming cluster, than one of those companies—Big Fish Games—jumped out of the pool to grab the spotlight in a big (think $83.3 million) way. That was the whopping amount of new funding the Seattle company, founded in 2002 by Paul Thelen, … Continue reading “Big Fish Lands $83.3 Million Investment Round”
Givvy Launches Online Tools for Getting Organized About Your Charitable Giving
Back in February I tried a million different ways to get Givvy founder John Treadway to tell me exactly what is was his months-old startup was building. The best I could get out of him at the time was something about online tools that give individual donors “more control and more empowerment over why, when, … Continue reading “Givvy Launches Online Tools for Getting Organized About Your Charitable Giving”
Novartis To Beef Up Vaccine Research in Cambridge
Novartis is doubling down on vaccine research. The Basel, Switzerland-based drug giant is announcing today that it is opening a new facility and hiring an additional 150 people by the end of 2009 for a Research Center of Excellence in Virology in Cambridge, MA. That will boost the company’s employment in Cambridge to more than … Continue reading “Novartis To Beef Up Vaccine Research in Cambridge”
Arzeda, a University of Washington Spinout, Sees Future in Directed Evolution
Arzeda sees a future in which it will custom design enzymes, on a computer, to do things in the body that biologists now can only dream about. The technology, emerging from David Baker‘s lab at the University of Washington, has generated enough interest from biotechnology industry partners that three of his young apprentices have decided … Continue reading “Arzeda, a University of Washington Spinout, Sees Future in Directed Evolution”
Getting the Gist of Gist, from Entrepreneur T.A. McCann
T.A. McCann has been on my list of people to talk to for months. So when I heard the Seattle-area entrepreneur, a former Microsoftie and pro sailor, has a new website in beta trials, I had to get the scoop from him. The site, and company, is called Gist, and this is its first week … Continue reading “Getting the Gist of Gist, from Entrepreneur T.A. McCann”
ZvBox’s Unhappy Marriage of PC and HDTV
I really wish that I could write a positive review of the ZvBox—the appliance from Littleton, MA-based ZeeVee that taps into your house’s TV cables, allowing you to watch videos playing on your Windows PC from any high-definition TV in your house. When I first profiled ZeeVee back in May, I had high hopes for … Continue reading “ZvBox’s Unhappy Marriage of PC and HDTV”
Trubion Wins Patent Dispute With Genentech, Biogen Idec
Trubion Pharmaceuticals just scored a victory in the world of patents over a couple of biotech heavyweights. The Seattle biotech company (NASDAQ: [[ticker:TRBN]]), which is developing a drug for rheumatoid arthritis, said today that the European Patent Office granted its request to revoke a patent held by Genentech and Cambridge, MA-based Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BIIB]]) … Continue reading “Trubion Wins Patent Dispute With Genentech, Biogen Idec”
Biofuels: The Wild West of Today, As a New Industry Takes Shape
There was a sense of urgency in the air yesterday in Vancouver, B.C., about biofuels. It’s no surprise, with gas at $4 a gallon, that some smart people have gotten motivated to come up with alternatives. So I hopped in a rented 2008 Toyota Yaris (estimated 36 highway mpg) and joined about 450 people at … Continue reading “Biofuels: The Wild West of Today, As a New Industry Takes Shape”
Daily TIPs: Wind Bubble, Stronger Steel, Climate Cooperation, & More
Is There a Wind Bubble Coming? Wind power is booming, with capacity last year growing by 45 percent and wind power companies being bought and sold. The Atlantic displays an interesting map showing where the wind and the windmills are, but worries that the current optimism in the wind market may turn sour. It cites … Continue reading “Daily TIPs: Wind Bubble, Stronger Steel, Climate Cooperation, & More”